How Leadership in the Business World Relates to Students

As students, we are nearing the end of the Fall Semester. This is the time where a majority of students, including myself, have group projects and presentations to hand in within a couple of weeks. I know some students have a difficult time coordinating meet up times, brainstorming what topic they would like to talk about, and lastly, bringing out the best work your group can display. To help students cope with these kinds of issues I came across an interesting article. This past week, BusinessWeek had an article written by Nick Tasler discussing the Five Secrets of Charismatic Leadership. After reading the article I definitely noticed a connection where I could relate the article to a classroom setting.

Nick Tasler points out that “Displaying charismatic leadership is one of the most effective ways to boost everything from motivation and creativity to productivity and plain old satisfaction.” Nick discusses how to influence and motivate people using “The Charismatic Narrative” structure. Nick breaks down this structure in five steps. They are the following:

1. Define the main character- “story must be about someone your audience cares about.”
2. Describe the happy ending- can be simple as “your job will be secure.”
3. Describe the not-so-happy ending- “job may be in jeopardy"
4. Describe what action you want them to take-“What is it that you want them to do."
5. Just add watery eyes- “use positive emotions”

In the first step Nick discusses how to motivate people and bring the best out of group, you must “define the main character.” When working on a group project, as students, we can use this step to discuss how our project will capture the audience and fellow classmates’ attention. Ultimately, from our group project, we are trying to convey and teach our audience the importance of our topic.

The second step is to “describe the happy ending.” Here students working on a group project can articulate to each other the importance of putting your best effort. For example, we can state that if we all put the time and effort into making the project the best we can, we all should receive an A on the project.

In the third step is to “describe the no-so- happy ending.” We all have been there at times when a person in the group may have difficulty in assisting the group with the project. As this step states, articulating that if we all do not work together, the group as a whole will suffer and our grade will suffer too.

The fourth step in this five step process is to “describe what action you want them to take.” This step is a crucial part in working on a group project. When a project is assigned, the group should formulate a plan in which the project will be equally divided among each student. Keep in mind that each student has unique qualities and skills that they bring to the group. The project should be tailored to each individual’s skills and qualities. This allows for everyone to contribute and brainstorm on what they need to accomplish in order to finish the project. This also helps with easing any uncertainty that may arise within the group.

Lastly, the fifth step “just add watery eyes.” This step is to help leaders and managers use positive attitude and emotions to help bring the best out of others. When working on a group project, negativity can definitely hamper the creativity and atmosphere of the group. Using positive attitude and emotions motivates us to work harder and effectively. In the end, we want to be able to present a compelling project with facts and examples that will support the group topic.

In conclusion, I hope this blog will help you bring out the best in others whether it is working on a group project for school or for work. Just remember in whatever project you undertake, make sure that you put 100% into it.

Until next blog =)

Everardo L. Huesca

Tasler, Nick. Businessweek. n.d. 2 November 2010 .